Brazil's Lula, Flavio Bolsonaro tied ahead of runoff vote

Brazil's Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro neck and neck ahead of runoff vote

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With just under a week to go before the decisive presidential runoff election, polls show left-wing incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro are virtually tied. This election could end up as close as the one held in 2022, when Lula narrowly beat Flavio Bolsonaro's father, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, with just 50.9% of the vote.

Bolsonaro's right-wing bloc also won many additional seats in Congress, primarily at the expense of Brazil's centrist parties. However, Lula managed to gain momentum through nationwide mass rallies and his dynamic social media presence, which has helped to close the gap between the two candidates.

The rivalry between Lula's left-wing camp and Bolsonaro's far-right bloc has shaped Brazilian politics for the past decade. This polarization is responsible for the disappearance of centrist parties and a political alternative, or 'third way,' said political scientist Marco Aurelio Nogueira.

The divide between Lula and Bolsonarism has paralyzed Brazilian politics, and anything that didn't belong to one pole or the other has disappeared, Nogueira added. This polarization is fueled by social media, the expert said, saying that 'platforms' algorithms thrive on conflict and reward excitement.'